1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephony terminal apparatus for receiving a distribution service of contents such as karaoke music performance data, and a distribution server apparatus for distributing the contents.
The present invention particularly relates to a mobile telephony terminal apparatus capable of subscribing a new information service in which an application program is installed and executed independently of a web browser and a talking function.
2. Related art
In a conventional mobile telephony terminal apparatus of a cellular system, personal handy-phone system (PHS), or the like, it is known that music performance data is downloaded from a server on a network and reproduced as a ringing tone melody of a mobile phone. Moreover, it is also known that the music performance data is downloaded from the server and a speaker of a mobile terminal is used to carry out karaoke performance.
However, karaoke capability of the mobile phone is a mere extension of a performance function of the ringing tone melody. That is, for the music performance data for karaoke, a format of ringing tone melody data is expanded, such that words data can simply be incorporated. Therefore, there have been many restrictions.
Additionally, since the karaoke performance can be carried out specifically on dedicated hardware of each mobile telephony terminal, it has been difficult to catch up with enhancement of a processing ability of a terminal apparatus with development of a technique, and modification or improvement of service specifications.
Moreover, it is necessary to meet a requirement for security holding and copyright protection in order to develop a contents business.
Then, a new type of telephony terminal has been developed which can execute an application program prepared by Java (registered trademark) in a mobile telephony terminal with a information service function for connecting to Internet so that a web page can be seen, and an electronic mail function is available. Such a mobile telephony terminal for a so-called i-mode (registered trademark). Java (registered trademark) is a programming language of an interpreter type, and is called a Java virtual machine.
In this new type of telephony terminal, the aforementioned application program for realizing the new information service function is disposed on a mobile telephony terminal side, and can be executed as a standalone program.
Particularly, the aforementioned application program does not depend on a machine type, or is formed as a component and therefore has expandability. Since it is possible to freely change a format, it is advantageously easy to prepare software and modify or improve specifications.
For the application program, three to ten small programs having a limit of 10 KB can be stored in one mobile telephony terminal. A scratch pad (memory) usable only associated with each application program has a limit of 5 KB, and contents such as music performance data are stored.
The application program is sometimes preset at a time of shipment of a new terminal product from a factory, but a user starts up a browser and can download the program from the server on the network. Moreover, the contents data for exclusive use in the application program can also similarly be downloaded to the scratch pad from the server.
The application program and scratch pad operate on a virtual machine. Therefore, the application program is constituted in principle to be separate from and be independent of a processing belonging to the original telephone function of the mobile telephony terminal and the conventional information service function such as the browser and electronic mail. As a result, the contents data for use in the aforementioned application program cannot be utilized as the ringing tone melody belonging to the telephone function.
In the new information service, security protection and copyright protection are strengthened with respect to a contents distribution service. On the other hand, since the service is separated from the conventional contents distribution service carried out using the browser, there is inconvenience in sharing the same or associated contents between the new service and the conventional service.
Therefore, there has been a demand for a new contents distribution service in which advantages of the new information service are exploited and cooperation with the conventional contents service is considered.
The present invention has been developed to solve the aforementioned problem, and has an object to provide a telephony terminal apparatus in which a communication data amount or a communication time is reduced during selection of contents according to a search result of the contents, and a communication charge can be reduced, and to provide a server apparatus in which first and second distribution means can cooperate to distribute contents data such as music performance data and ringing tone melody to the telephony terminal apparatus. Moreover, the present invention covers a program for allowing a computer to execute such processing.
In a general concept of the invention, an information service system comprises a server apparatus for distributing music performance data through a network, and a telephony terminal apparatus for acquiring the music performance data from the server apparatus through the network. The telephony terminal apparatus comprises a storage section that stores an application program, and a processing section that executes the application program for sending a search query effective to specify target music performance data to the server apparatus and acquiring the target music performance data from the server apparatus for exclusive use by the application program. The server apparatus comprises a first distributing section responsive to the search query for distributing the target music performance data to the telephony terminal apparatus in the form of first contents which are dedicated for use by the application program, and a second distributing section responsive to a request from the telephony terminal apparatus for distributing second contents of the same target music performance data to the telephony terminal apparatus such that the second contents can be treated by the telephony terminal apparatus independently of the application program.
In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a telephony terminal apparatus communicable with a server apparatus distributing contents through a network. The apparatus comprises a storage section that stores an application program and a processing section that executes the application program for performing a process comprising the steps of prompting a user to input a search query effective to specify target music performance data, sending the search query to the server apparatus through the network for enabling the server apparatus to search for contents matching the search query, receiving one or more of identification information corresponding to the contents matching the search query from the server apparatus, displaying the received identification information in a selection screen form which is formulated by the application program, selecting at least one of the identification information from the selection screen form to request the server apparatus for distribution of the contents corresponding to the selected identification information, and acquiring the target music performance data in the distributed contents from the server apparatus.
Therefore, when the contents selection screen is prepared, it is unnecessary to transmit form data of the contents selection screen from the server apparatus side. Therefore, a communication data amount is reduced with packet switching, a communication time is shortened with circuit switching, and a communication charge can be reduced.
In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a server apparatus for distributing music performance data through a network to a telephony terminal apparatus installed with an application program treating the music performance data. The server apparatus comprises a first distributing section that distributes the music performance data to the telephony terminal apparatus in the form of first contents corresponding to identification information designated by means of the application program, a receiving section that receives a request for distribution of second contents corresponding to the same identification information from the telephony terminal apparatus after the application program is quitted, and a second distributing section that distributes the second contents to the telephony terminal apparatus such that the second contents can be treated by the telephony terminal apparatus for use of the music performance data while the first contents are exclusively treated by the application program for use of the same music performance data.
Therefore, the second contents data having the common identification information with the first contents of music performance data distributed by the first distribution section, such as associated contents data including a ringing tone melody, score, words card, photograph image of an artist, and the like can be distributed to the same telephony terminal apparatus as the distribution destination of the music performance data in cooperation with the first distribution section. In this case, since the ID or the password is collated, the second distribution data is prevented from being distributed to a different distribution destination.
For example, it is possible to distribute the music performance data only to the application program operating separately on a virtual machine independent of other machines and to distribute the second contents data having the common identification information, such as a music program with the conventional contents distribution service having little restriction on contents use.
In a third aspect of the invention, in the above described server apparatus, the second distributing section distributes the second contents which are treated to reproduce the music performance data as a ringing tone sounded when the telephony terminal apparatus receives a phone call.
Therefore, the ringing tone melody can be stored in the telephony terminal in response to a user""s request regardless of restrictions of the music performance data distributed by the first distribution section, such as a use condition and use frequency limitation. As a result, a service quality of the distribution service of the music performance data increases.
In a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided an application program for use in a telephony terminal apparatus communicable with a server apparatus distributing contents through a network. The application program is executed by a processor for causing the telephony terminal apparatus to perform a process comprising the steps of prompting a user to input a search query effective to specify target music performance data, sending the search query to the server apparatus through the network for enabling the server apparatus to search for contents matching the search query, receiving one or more of identification information corresponding to the contents matching the search query from the server apparatus, displaying the received identification information in a selection screen form which is formulated by the application program, selecting at least one of the identification information from the selection screen form to request the server apparatus for distribution of the contents corresponding to the selected identification information, and acquiring the target music performance data in the distributed contents from the server apparatus.
The application program may be installed in the telephony terminal apparatus at a time of shipment from a factory, or may be downloaded via the network.
In a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer program installable in a server apparatus having a processor and distributing music performance data through a network to a telephony terminal apparatus installed with an application program treating the music performance data. The computer program is executable by the processor for causing the server apparatus to perform a process comprising the steps of distributing the music performance data to the telephony terminal apparatus in the form of first contents corresponding to identification information designated by means of the application program, receiving a request for distribution of second contents corresponding to the same identification information from the telephony terminal apparatus after the application program is quitted, and distributing the second contents to the telephony terminal apparatus such that the second contents can be treated by the telephony terminal apparatus for use of the music performance data while the first contents are exclusively treated by the application program for use of the same music performance data.